Resident Evil 4 Interview

[JamieSI]

REHorror (http://www.rehorror.net/) has posted up an interview with Hiroyuki Kobayashi, Producer of Resident Evil 4 where they talk with him about how well the games been doing since it was released and topics to do with the series as a whole. Here's a snippet:

reH: When you were working on your first Biohazard game, did you have any idea that it would spawn this huge series featuring dozens of characters and a very elaborate storyline?

Kobayashi-san: When you develop a brand new game you always hope that it will successful enough to allow you to develop further titles and create a franchise. Sure, we had ideas about future storylines, but had to see how Resident Evil was accepted before we could implement them. Looking back we are extremely happy with how the series has progressed – at the beginning we never imagined there would be Resident Evil novels, comics, fan sites, a full range of merchandise and even a couple of films. But we will also never forget that none of this would have been possible without such a great following of loyal fans.
You can check the rest of this interview here (http://www.rehorror.net/thirdeye06/m_f_kobayashi.php).

[bean19]

This is not formated correctly. The quote should not be bolded but should be in a quote box. Also, this is a Q&A, so the question should also be included with the quote.

Great interview and thanks for linking, but read the News Submission guide please.

[JamieSI]

ok sure bean, I didn't know you had to do that for interviews, normally I submit stuff fine! :)

[fitbabits]

This is not formated correctly. The quote should not be bolded but should be in a quote box. Also, this is a Q&A, so the question should also be included with the quote.

Great interview and thanks for linking, but read the News Submission guide please.
Fixed. Thanks for looking out for us, bean!

[bean19]

Man I feel like a little grammar/format Nazi now. :) Thanks for fixing this guys.

[ArchVile]

Speaking of Resi 4, i read a few weeks back (on UK Channel 4 TeleText) that the PC version had been canned, is there any truth to this? because i haven't heard anything about it in months, everytime a magazine like PCZone/Gamer say they are reviewing it next issue, it never turns up. I'm not actually bothered either way because i've had the PS2 version since last year, but i know people who will be dissapointed if its true...

[bumgut]

Resi 4 sold only 1.2 million copies worldwide?

Shame...

[KamaItachi]

Hmm, it was an okay interview, but I would have liked to have seen some questions about where he sees the series going or if he'd like to make use of platform specific features in later games.

[EvilBob46]

RE4 is one of the best games released in years, and a game everyone should play. 'nuff said.

[Beelzebud]

Perhaps if they would release it for more than the PS2 it would sell more copies?

I would buy it in an instant for my Xbox, but I'm not buying a PS2 just to play 1 game.

[Meusli]

The offical site says its a September release so here's hopeing.

[JazGalaxy]

It's pretty disgusting that he doesn't thank Alone In The Dark, which is the game they blatantly copied for Biohazzard.

[JamieSI]

lol, Alone in the dark the first was great indeed.

[fitbabits]

Perhaps if they would release it for more than the PS2 it would sell more copies?

I would buy it in an instant for my Xbox, but I'm not buying a PS2 just to play 1 game.
It's also available on Gamecube.

[Banacek]

I'd love to check out RE 1.5 and 3.5, just to see what they had before they changed directions. Maybe one day we'll get them on a collection disc. I need to play me some RE2. I haven't in a while.

[EvilBob46]

The game actually sold 3.25 million copies total. See here (http://www.vgcharts.org/worldtotals.php).

Gamecube: 1.44 million
PS2: 1.81 million

The figures in the interview come out to be ~1.2 million, so perhaps he is talking only about the Gamecube version.

Perhaps if they would release it for more than the PS2 it would sell more copies?

I would buy it in an instant for my Xbox, but I'm not buying a PS2 just to play 1 game.

It was released for both PS2 and GC. If you only own 1 of the 3 consoles on the market, well, it's sort of your problem :p

Capcom has been very supportive of the 360 so far (with Dead Rising, Lost Planet, and RE5), so why didn't they make an Xbox RE4 port? Well, I'd assume it's because the game was ported to the PS2 in November of last year; the same month of the 360's release. Perhaps they didn't think releasing an Xbox game at that point in time was worthwhile.

[Draft]

It's pretty disgusting that he doesn't thank Alone In The Dark, which is the game they blatantly copied for Biohazzard.Capcom's very own "Sweet Home," which is arguably the first survival horror game, preceded Alone in the Dark by about 3 years.

the more you know...

[Rafer]

The game actually sold 3.25 million copies total. See here (http://www.vgcharts.org/worldtotals.php).

That's still millions less than what RE1 or RE2 sold, and a little less than RE3, and you can bet RE4 cost way more to develop. I think the problem was that most games sell most of their copies in the first few weeks, and with the PS2 version coming out months after the Gamecube version it lost a lot of excitement over being new (sorta like how the xbox GTA ports aren't quite the huge sellers the PS2 versions are). Simultaneous release is how you want to go (although that's not factoring in how much Nintendo must have payed to get the RE4 exclusive to Gamecube for a while, I think that how it worked?).

And keep in mind that vgcharts should be taken with a grain of salt, those numbers are pulled from a variety of sources and might be off and have omissions (though I do like the site).

[H.Bogard]

Disgusting that the interview dont mention the PC version. -_-
STOP THE PC HATE!!!

[Draft]

RE4 has dissapointing numbers because it was Gamecube exclusive for a looooooong time and third party titles sell like shit on Nintendo systems.

Except for Tamotogotchi!

[EvilBob46]

That's still millions less than what RE1 or RE2 sold, and a little less than RE3, and you can bet RE4 cost way more to develop.

I'd say the fact that Resident Evil 3 sold almost 2.5 million fewer copies than the previous game in the series is evidence of the fact that the series was growing stale at that point, and that RE4 managed to stop the downward spiral of RE sales despite of a delayed multiplatform release.

Simultaneous release is how you want to go (although that's not factoring in how much Nintendo must have payed to get the RE4 exclusive to Gamecube for a while, I think that how it worked?).

Resident Evil 4's director, Shinji Mikami, specifically wanted the game to be exclusive to the Gamecube. He was the guy who said “Resident Evil 4 will definitely release only on GameCube, not on another console.” And if a PS2 release did occur, “I will cut my head off.” Source (http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_zdegm/is_200510/ai_n14906661)

It was never about selling the most copies as much as it was about creating a Gamecube exclusive action game to drive sales, which was what happened until Capcom stock holders pressured the company into porting the game to the PS2 (and saying a PS2 port was imminent even before the GC release, which I'm sure caused a lot of people who would've bought a Cube for the game to wait for the PS2 port instead).

[JazGalaxy]

Capcom's very own "Sweet Home," which is arguably the first survival horror game, preceded Alone in the Dark by about 3 years.

the more you know...


Sweet Home's influence on Biohazzard has nothing to do with Biohazzard's outright theft of Alone in The Dark's content. In fact, arguably, Sweet Home is simply the other half of stolen content which, along with Alone In The Dark, make up Biohazzard.

[ProfPuppet]

I still can't believe that they haven't come out with the next game yet. Ditto for the folks who make Silent Hill. RE4 was great. I always really wanted to like the series before it, but loathed the static camera and combat. Unfortunately, I found that RE4 seemed to slide gently downhill after the first area in the Ganados village.

[Draft]

Sweet Home's influence on Biohazzard has nothing to do with Biohazzard's outright theft of Alone in The Dark's content. In fact, arguably, Sweet Home is simply the other half of stolen content which, along with Alone In The Dark, make up Biohazzard.How the fuck can they steal from themselves?

[kid cabelgo]

RE4 is one of the best games released in years, and a game everyone should play. 'nuff said.

agreed. I try so hard to get everyone I know to try this game out. It's one of the best games I've ever played.

[MoJoBehaumat]

Plus on a game per system bases
its more like 1 out of 6 gamecube owners had it
and more like 1 out of 15 ps2 owners picked it up :)


ps.ohh these numbers have been totally made up ;)

[51|RandoM]

It was my game of the year(the cube version).

The fact that such a stellar, polished game was released initially on gamecube just makes me think of all of the lost potential the cube had.

Thinking about it, I might even give it my best of the generation award. Hmm, a disproportionate number of the games I'd consider for that are cube games. Didn't have a large library, but the wheat to chaff ratio beat the other two consoles hands down.

[JazGalaxy]

How the fuck can they steal from themselves?

Are you honestly asking that, or just trying to be obnoxius for attention?

The RE team is entirely different than the people who worked on the NES movie to game license of Sweet Home. Just becuase Capcom happens to OWN both franchises doesn't mean a concept isn't ripped off another game.

[rinichanraar]

The weird thing is that, after finishing Resident Evil 4 some time last year and not having played it much since my acquisition of the Infinite Launcher, I randomly decided to play a little today before even having read this article. What awesome timing.

[Draft]

Are you honestly asking that, or just trying to be obnoxius for attention?

The RE team is entirely different than the people who worked on the NES movie to game license of Sweet Home. Just becuase Capcom happens to OWN both franchises doesn't mean a concept isn't ripped off another game.OK, so by your crazy logic:

Namco's Soul Caliber people ripped off Tekken
Blizzard's Starcraft people ripped off Warcraft
id's DOOM people ripped off Wolfenstein 3D
etc, etc...?

[51|RandoM]

Are you honestly asking that, or just trying to be obnoxius for attention?

The RE team is entirely different than the people who worked on the NES movie to game license of Sweet Home. Just becuase Capcom happens to OWN both franchises doesn't mean a concept isn't ripped off another game.

You can't rip off a game concept, sorry. I might grant that through some form of industrial espionage you beat somebody to the punch, but if it is after the concept has already been introduced you're free to make as many games as you want in the same vein.

In your perfect world, there'd only be one game in each genre, one that might see incremental updates from version to version from the same developer, but never any competition. Come to think of it, sounds like EA's football titles.

If somebody makes a better diablo than diablo, I'm going to thank my lucky stars, not start moaning that they rippped off blizzard, who in turn ripped off every rogue-like game ever created.

[Zenith]

Disgusting that the interview dont mention the PC version. -_-
STOP THE PC HATE!!!

This interview was released a year before the PC version was even announced. That's why the sales figure Kobayashi quotes are so low.